Addressing clinical equipoise for hearing devices: the qualitative COACH (q-COACH) study protocol for Australian stakeholder involvement in the design of a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Hearing loss is a common chronic problem which can be effectively managed with hearing devices. At present, only a limited number of people with hearing loss use hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs) to improve hearing and sound quality and enhance quality of life. Clinical equipoise, by which we mean healthcare professional uncertainty about which treatment options are the most efficacious due to the lack of evidence-based information, can lead to inconsistent and poorly informed referral processes for hearing devices.A randomised controlled trial (RCT) that offers high-quality, generalisable information is needed to clarify which hearing device (HA or CI) is more suitable for different degrees of hearing loss and for which kinds of patients. Qualitative rese

SUBMITTER: Rapport F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6738701 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature